


Break

by 126916912



Series: Unposted Works [2]
Category: The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: M/M, post breakup
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-27 06:27:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30118539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/126916912/pseuds/126916912
Summary: Jaehyun is only being a bad friend by accident. He just can't bring himself to admit that he was dumped by someone he'd secretly started to fall for.
Relationships: Lee Jaehyun | Hyunjae/Lee Sangyeon
Series: Unposted Works [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2216157
Kudos: 1





	Break

Sangyeon broke up with Jaehyun a week ago. It has been a strange week and Haknyeon has spent the entire time telling Jaehyun that he's a bad friend for not listening to a single thing he has to say. Jaehyun is only being a bad friend by accident. He just can't bring himself to admit that he was dumped by someone he'd secretly started to fall for. 

So Jaehyun takes the criticism. He's a bad friend. 

Jaehyun thinks it would be nice, when Sangyeon turns up at the flat with Sunwoo, and Changmin, and Jacob, if he was allowed to tell Haknyeon the same thing. That Haknyeon is a bad friend for inviting Jaehyun's ex over when absolutely nothing has worn down to a blunter memory that doesn't prick him quite so suddenly. The mix of people is a strange one, especially when Haknyeon arranged the gathering to announce that he wants to propose to Jiwoo and this is a pre-stag-do even though he hasn't even asked his girlfriend if she would want to be his wife one day. 

This isn't a fun group. There's nothing that these people have any business celebrating. Jaehyun will admit that he is just as unfun as the rest of them, but even that wouldn't explain why Sangyeon is here. 

"What are you doing?" Sangyeon asks as soon as he opens the bathroom door. He looks annoyed, obviously, and maybe he has a right to look that way. Jaehyun is annoying. It is all part of his charm, even when he waits outside his own bathroom just to catch his ex for as private of a conversation as they can get. 

"I need the toilet," Jaehyun lies. Sangyeon rolls his eyes. Jaehyun might as well get to the point before someone genuinely does need the toilet and happens to find them both. "What are you doing here?" 

"Haknyeon invited me. He's happy and he wants me to be happy for him. So that's what I'm doing."

"Right. Except this is my home," Jaehyun explains. 

"I am aware."

"Good. So why are you here? In my home. After you dumped me."

Sangyeon sucks his teeth and grabs Jaehyun's forearm too tightly to drag him into the bathroom. The sound of the door closing echoes somehow. Jaehyun doesn't like the close ghosts of the noise, especially not when that used to spark a thrill inside him that some amount of artificial privacy was achieved. Nobody could bother them for the short time they judged to be inconspicuous. Not whilst they had the illusion of a closed door to hide them. Now Jaehyun realises just how big of a reminder a closed door can be to people who are trapped. 

Jaehyun hasn't been trapped with Sangyeon for too long. 

"You can't ask me why I'm here," Sangyeon says. "They're going to start suspecting something."

"Isn't it suspect enough that you're here? How are you going to act like nothing happened? How do you think seeing you here, where I live, is making me feel?" 

Sangyeon sighs. He leans back against the door and crosses his arms. "It was your idea. The whole reason we didn't tell anyone and kept this all a secret was because you said it would make things weird with our friends. You said we shouldn't tell anyone we were seeing each other until we were sure and if it didn't work out nobody else would have to take sides or anything."

Maybe Jaehyun suggested that, maybe he didn't. Jaehyun says lots of things but that doesn't mean anyone has the right to use his own words against him. Not when Jaehyun had been sure. 

After months of sneaking around (and inventing family visits and work excursions to hide the fact that he was going to places where nobody knew him or Sangyeon and it wouldn't matter if they did something as crazy as hold hands) Jaehyun was certain. He was beginning to think about what it would be like to introduce Sangyeon to his family, to tell people that someone was winning his heart and he was happy about it. Already Jaehyun wanted casual touches and comfortable contact to be easier, to be something that nobody cared to question because it was something that Jaehyun was allowed to have with a man who made him feel every emotion in all the right ways. 

Maybe Jaehyun didn't agree with Sangyeon on everything, and perhaps he would try to wind Sangyeon up on purpose, but there was never anything glaringly wrong. People fought, that was all part of learning where they had to make compromises. But that wasn't even the reason Sangyeon gave when he brought things to an end. 

"I'm just tired of this," Sangyeon had said. He genuinely did sound exhausted, like keeping a secret like Jaehyun was one burden too many for someone who liked to grow weary under the weight of other people's problems. "It's too much work for something that is supposed to be casual."

Sangyeon had said lots of other things too but Jaehyun doesn't think that the other words - even though they were volleyed back and forth until they were said loudly, and scornfully, and with emphasis on all the wrong syllables - hurt in quite the same way. It was simple. Sangyeon was tired. They were supposed to be casual. 

Jaehyun has spent the last seven days racking his brain but he can't remember a single instance where he ever said they should aim for casual. It must have just been something Sangyeon had decided all on his own. He was allowed to do that. It wasn't the sort of condition they both had to agree on. Sangyeon was allowed to decide things just like that and give himself an out. But Jaehyun was beginning to hate him for it. 

Jaehyun clears his throat. 

"I don't think I can be friends with you right now."

A pause. Then, "I'm not asking you to."

"I can't be around you anymore," Jaehyun says. He thinks he succeeds in keeping his voice steady but it doesn't matter. Sangyeon hardly looks as though he is paying attention. "I'm not going to ask you to leave because it would just upset Haknyeon, but I am going to step out for a bit. Do you still have my number?" 

"Obviously."

"Can you text me to let me know when you're going so that I can come home?" 

Sangyeon almost smiles when he meets Jaehyun's gaze all over again. He doesn't acknowledge the request. He only asks, "Why can't you be my friend?" 

"You just said it is fine for us not to be friends. That was literally three seconds ago."

"I didn't say it was fine," Sangyeon says steadier than Jaehyun could ever have hoped to. "This whole arrangement was so that we could still be friends afterwards and it wouldn't make too much of a difference when it didn't work out. Why can't you keep your promises and be normal?" 

Calling incidental conditions promises is a bit much. Jaehyun can't consider careless words to hold that much weight. But there's no point in disagreeing. Sangyeon has already decided this all by himself. 

"Things worked out differently in practice."

"It's like you lied to me all along. Why would you say things that you can't follow through?"

"All along? What did I lie about? I liked being with you and you knew it. If anyone was lying it was you, Sangyeon. You can't tell me you're looking forward to seeing me, or tell me that you missed me, then suddenly turn around and say you're sick of me."

Sangyeon stands up straight. "I'm not going to do this now. I'm not going to fight with you about this. I'll text you."

Sangyeon leaves the bathroom and it is just something else Jaehyun can't do anything about. Nothing has changed in one week and Jaehyun supposes nothing will change in the weeks after this either. 


End file.
